4.10 Mesh Object Plug-In System

This section covers the Crystal Space Mesh Object plug-in system. This is a
very general system for defining various kinds of 3D objects and using them in
the Crystal Space 3D engine. You can use them to simulate things like
snow, rain, fountains, fire, explosions, ....

In practice you will probably want to use the following mesh objects
in your own game:

‘GenMesh’ (see section Genmesh Mesh Object). The genmesh object is one of the
most useful mesh objects. You can use it for static data (walls, buildings,
floor, ...) or for dynamic data (moving objects). It supports multiple
materials, vertex lighting, and even animation. Using the new ‘lighter2’
app it can also support lightmaps. See section Using lighter2.

‘AniMesh’ (see section Animesh Mesh Object). The animesh is the main mesh
dedicated to skeletal and morphing animations. It is perfect for objects with
shapes deforming over the time.

‘Terrain2’. The terrain object is very
useful if you want landscapes although you can do landscapes with genmesh
too. But the terrain mesh object can do it more efficiently.

‘Particles’. If you want particles then the particles mesh is
the best choice. Currently the ‘Emit’ particle system is also supported
but it should be avoided as it is very slow and is going to be removed
in the future as well.

In the first section a general overview is given on some of the concepts
in the mesh object system.

In the second section you will see how you can use mesh objects in your own
applications and how you can work with them.